Nearly 200 criminal defendants have no state-paid lawyer as required by Georgia law to handle their appeals, according to a civil suit filed today. More than half have waited more than a year without an attorney. Budget cuts and a 2008 Supreme Court decision lie at the heart of the problem. “When our system of criminal justice does not itself comply with the rule of law, its integrity is fairly questioned,” said attorney Michael A. Caplan. “That integrity is what is at issue in this case.”